Liverpool defender Devan Lovren has accused Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku of deliberately kicking him in the head during Saturday’s Premier League game at Anfield.

Replays clearly showed Lukaku catching Lovren with the back of his heel as the pair tussled for the ball at the end of the first half, with opinion divided on whether there was any malicious intent on behalf of the Belgian forward.

Football Association chiefs have confirmed that no further action will be taken against Lukaku following the incident, but Lovren was in no doubt that the striker intended to catch him in an incident that has been replayed time and again on television in the days since.

“My honest view is that he did it on purpose,” Lovren told a press conference ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League game against Maribor.

“You know I made a tackle there. I just felt he was over me and I he could just have moved away. Even if he did it normally you would apologise after that, but I saw that he was nervous during the game so that is also the reason.

“That can happen on the pitch and it is over. I can't change it and nobody can change it. I am not thinking about it any more.

“I cannot say I am disappointed, but it is what it is and we need to move on. That’s football. It’s part of the game.”